“Good morning” is a commonly used word for greetings in English. However, Vietnamese speakers only say “Good morning” in certain situations.
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to say “Good morning” and when to use it.
How to say “Good morning” in Vietnamese
“Good morning” in Vietnamese is Chào buổi sáng.
Chào is the standard word of saying “Hello” in Vietnamese.
Buổi means “period” or “session”. It can be used to refer to the period of the day or class period.
Sáng means “morning”. Therefore, buổi sáng literally means “morning period”.
How to pronounce “Good morning” in Vietnamese
Southern Vietnamese has 5 different tones. All the tones can be placed within the 3 ranges: low, mid and high pitch.
Chào has a downward tone, which starts from a mid-range pitch, slowly falls and ends at a low pitch, denotes a low-falling tone (left to right).
Buổi has the question tone, which starts from a mid-range pitch, shortly falls to a lower pitch before bouncing up to a mid-high pitch.
Sáng has an upward tone, which starts from a mid-range pitch, rises and ends at a high pitch, denotes a high-rising tone (left to right).
When to say “Good morning” in Vietnamese
In daily conversations, Vietnamese speakers simply say Chào + pronoun to greet each other, regardless of the time of the day.
The phrase Chào buổi sáng is mostly used to greet a group of people.
For example, when arriving at the office in the morning, you can say Chào buổi sáng to greet all of your coworkers who are already there.
In another instance, when visiting someone’s house in the morning, you can Chào buổi sáng to greet all the family members that are there.
Take note that you should only say Chào buổi sáng when it’s morning time around 3 am to 10 am.
Saying Hello in Vietnamese like a native speakerHow to say “Good morning everyone” in Vietnamese
Since Vietnamese people mostly say “Good morning” to a group of people, you can also use the phrase “Good morning everyone” instead.
1. Chào buổi sáng mọi người
Mọi người literally means “everyone” in English.
This phrase can be used when greeting a group of strangers or people that you’re not close with and requires some degree of formality.
2. Chào buổi sáng cả nhà
Cả nhà literally means "the whole family"
This phrase can be used when greeting a group of people that you’re close to or comfortable with.
